She gestured toward the hall and he followed her out of the room. The sway of her hips and the way her hair flowed from side to side distracted him. That is until she turned abruptly. Suddenly, she was so close he forgot to breathe.
"Thank you for coming. You made his day."
"He made mine." It was true. Slade pulled in a deep breath. A mix of spices and flowers filled his lungs, replacing the hospital's antiseptic scent. Her height put her eyes level with his mouth. She'd fit against him perfectly. "You'll let me know if he can come to batting practice with the team? I can get you a schedule. I'm hoping he and his family can come to a game too."
"We're actually taking a group of the kids to the game on the thirtieth, for Fin the Shark's birthday celebration. We have a suite reserved. As long as Mason's condition stays the same or improves, he'll be able to attend."
"That's great. I'll come up to the suite and see you and the kids then. And make sure Liam and some of my teammates stop by. If Mason can go, we could do a private batting practice for him and the kids that day too."
"With Liam getting hurt, I wasn't sure if they were still planning on holding the party but he left me a message today, assuring me that it was still on and he would be able to honor his commitments with the kids."
Slade grinned, thinking of Liam and Claire. They'd been at the ballpark until late into the evening, working on ideas, and his best friend seemed to be back to his usual happy self. "It's going to be an interesting season. Liam's not going to let a broken ankle hold him down."
"I'm glad. He's been so good to this program." Savanna pressed her lips into an understanding smile and back-walked a step. "I'll let you know if Mason is able to go to the game."
"Hey." Slade burst out louder than he'd expected, but he couldn't let her walk away. Not yet.
She stopped mid-turn, her delicate brows drawn together.
"You know, this is the first time we've been together without the distraction of a large crowd or a noisy function."
"Is it?" She took a tentative step toward his personal space.
"I wouldn't forget if I'd had the chance to do more than say hello to you."
She tucked her hair behind her ear, exposing the silver hoop on her upper ear. He wanted to trace the earring with his finger to see if it felt as delicate as it looked. And how she'd react to his touch. Her gaze held his a second longer but then dropped to his chest. "I should get back to my office."
"Or we could have coffee."
Her head snapped up. "Right now?"
"Why not? The cafeteria isn't far and their coffee isn't awful. We've known each other for what—three years? And I still don't know what you like to do when you're not being a miracle worker here."
"My title is Wish Granter, not Miracle Worker." She bumped her shoulder into his arm and tilted her head in the direction of the elevator. "Okay. I have time for one cup. But I guarantee you're going to be bored. "
"Don't worry. I'll think of something after you tell me your favorite color and your favorite drink."
Yes. He'd been intrigued by Savanna since first laying eyes on her at the fundraising gala for the foundation three years ago. Man—she'd looked hot in the simple red dress. Until today, he'd never had the chance to approach her. All his other visits with the kids had been arranged by her assistants.
As they rode to the cafeteria, she kept the conversation centered on the kids in the program but when they sat across from each other in an empty corner of the cafeteria, she grew quiet.
Slade sipped his coffee and settled back in his chair. Not too far, but relaxed. "So, tell me all about Savanna."
"Original." She blushed and shook her head. "There isn't much to tell."
"Also original. But something tells me you really are. So what's your deal?"
"I'm twenty-six. I've been involved with the Wishes Granted Foundation since I interned with them during my senior year of college. And what else was it that you'd said you wanted to know? Oh, right. My favorite color is teal. My favorite drink is champagne, and when I'm not working, I definitely don't spend my time racing cars around a speedway at two-hundred miles an hour."
He laughed and leaned forward, placing his cup on the table. "Have you ever tried it?"
"You have a reputation for being a risk taker. I've heard the other players talking about your escapades for years."
"Escapades?" He couldn't resist grinning at her; she'd asked his teammates about him. "Is that really what they say?"
She nodded and pursed her lips to fight the smile. "I'm afraid so. Last season, Dom Torres told me that you went sky diving during your day off in Arizona. Adam Hudson mentioned that the two of you walked on some clear bridge somewhere. And Liam has told me countless stories of how the two of you spend the off-season. Cliff diving, extreme skiing, and bungee jumping. Is there anything you won't do?"
Pleased she'd learned so much about him, he leaned back in his seat again. "Not really."
"But, don't you ever get scared?"
"It's more of an adrenaline rush." He drank from his cup. The coffee wasn't half-bad. He couldn't tell her that the rush temporarily filled the ache of loneliness in his soul. He never talked about that, but he'd suspected Liam, Dom, and Adam
